Buffs' QB cool under pressure

MANTECA - Joe Menzel has a commanding presence, whether under center, setting up in the pocket or speaking with a reporter after practice.

Bob Highfill

MANTECA - Joe Menzel has a commanding presence, whether under center, setting up in the pocket or speaking with a reporter after practice.

The senior quarterback at Manteca High is preparing this week for the biggest game in the Buffaloes' storied football history, a matchup with Redding-Enterprise in the California Interscholastic Federation Division II State Regional Championship Bowl Game.

With kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Lincoln High's Spanos Stadium, Menzel appeared to be as cool as the outdoor temperature after Manteca wrapped up a recent practice at Guss Schmiedt Field.

"It's really unbelievable, all the ups and downs of the whole year, a lot of emotion," Menzel said. "All of our hard work in the offseason is finally paying off in the end, and we have a chance to do something that no team in Manteca history has done and that's go to a state championship."

High school state football championships are a relatively new creation, starting in 2006, the same year the Buffaloes earned their third Sac-Joaquin Section championship and second under current head coach Eric Reis. Regional football championships began last year. In previous years, a committee selected the state bowl participants.

Saturday's winner will advance to the CIF Division II State Bowl Championship Game at 4 p.m. Dec. 21 at StubHub Center in Carson.

Last Friday, Manteca won its fourth section title, the third for Reis, with an emphatic 49-6 win over Sacramento in the Division III championship game. The Buffaloes (13-1) scored the most points and enjoyed the largest margin of victory ever in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game.

Menzel has been the steady hand guiding the third-highest scoring team in the state (48.6 points per game) with the section's ninth-ranked rushing attack led by an impressive senior-ladened offensive line and a super running back, senior Alex Laurel, who has accounted for 47 touchdowns and gained 1,799 yards rushing, which is ninth in the section.

Though Menzel hasn't been asked to shoulder the offense, he has been more than a capable passer, a leader by example and someone who doesn't make many mistakes. Menzel has completed 67 percent of his attempts (124 of 186) with five interceptions. He has thrown for 1,826 yards (130.4 per game) and 25 touchdowns.

When asked what would be the keys to Saturday's game, Menzel answered in predictable fashion given his character.

"Doing everything right, not making mistakes," Menzel said. "Against a great team like Enterprise, you can't make a lot of mistakes, especially in a big game like this. It's going to be a tough task on Saturday, but if we do our jobs and play Manteca football, we can get it done."

Against Sacramento, Menzel opened the scoring with a 5-yard run and later completed a pass while moving out of the pocket to Nick Gatehouse, who broke a tackle and ran down the sideline for a 34-yard touchdown that gave the Buffs a 21-0 halftime lead.

Menzel and his teammates are confident in everything they do, and if Menzel has to pass his team to a regional championship, so be it.

"We have a high-caliber quarterback, so we don't have to run," Laurel said. "We can pull out the spread and do damage with that, too."

Either way, Menzel will be ready.

"We are a very balanced team and we have a lot of weapons," Menzel said. "I think we use that to our advantage pretty well."